Supporter



`lune 15, 1937. c. F. scHUEssLER SUPPORTER Original Filed Jan. 3, 1933 Patented June 15, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application January 3, 1933, Serial No. 649,990 Renewed November 6, 1936 2 Claims.

This invention relates to a supporter and more particularly to the type of supporter known as athletic supporter.

Anobject of the invention is to provide a knitted 5 supporter of improved construction which is more durable and serviceable. More specifically, the invention provides for such an arrangement of long and short stitches as will add strength, elasticity and form to the article. Other objects and advantages will appear as the specification p-roceeds.

The invention is illustrated, in a preferred embodiment, by the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective `View of a supporter embodying my invention; Fig. 2, a plan View of the supporter strip, separated from the belt; Fig. 3, a sectional View, the section being taken as indicated at line 3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4, a broken perspective View of a modified form of the invention; Fig. 5, a broken View of a rubber or latex thread which may be employed; and Fig. 6, a broken sectional view of a modified form of the invention in which a latex thread is employed in conjunction with a regular cellulose woolen, silk etc. thread.

In the illustration given in Figs. l to 3, inclusive, A designates a belt, and B, a supporter strip.

The belt A may be of any suitable material.

If desired, it may be formed of an elastic fabric of knitted material, or of an elastic fabric equipped with rubber bands, etc.

lThe strip B is preferably formed as illustrated more clearly in Fig. 2. At one end, the fabric is divided into the strips I6 and II. The strips IIJ 5 and II merge near the middle of the supporter strip and form the wide band I2. The strip B is preferably formed on a regular knitting machine which is well known and need not be described. It is understood by those skilled in the art that the length of the stitches will be increased by employing short needles and decreased by employing long needles. In forming my improved form of supporter B, I employ short needles in a number of rows to form wales of long stitches in the central portion of the band I2, and I employ long needles in a few rows to form wales of close and short stitches along the border of the band I2. The short stitches are indicated by numerals I3, and the long stitches are indicated by the numeral I. The short stitches I3 tend to contract the borders of the band, while the longer stitches Ill give a fullness to the central portion of the band I2.

I prefer to omit the longitudinal stitches at the points I5 in order to form grooves. It will be noted from Fig. 2 that the grooves I5 extend along the borders of band I2 and through the central portion of the furcated strips IU and II.

In forming the strip B, I also desire to knit the entire piece as a whole and without employing extra stitches or sewing. In order to accomplish this, the knitting is preferably begun at the free ends of the separated strips III and II, the needles in the machine being omitted between the ends of the strips and the strips knitted in- 10 dependently. As the knitting proceeds, the needles are brought into play one by one at points adjacent the inner edges of the strips I0 and II so as to gradually bring the two strips together at I6. The knitting then proceeds uniformly to the 15 top of the band I2, the short needles being ernployed to form the long stitches in the central portion of the fabric, and the long needles being arranged so as to form the close stitches along the borders of the band I2. When the fabric B is completed, it may be secured to or stitched to the belt A in any suitable manner.

While I have shown wales of loose and close stitches, it will be understood that stitches of a closeness intermediate between the close and loose stitches shown may be used, and used, if desired, between the wales of the loose and close stitchesgiving a gradual change in the texture or body of the garment.

In the modification illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5, the upper portion I'I of the band I2 is formed with an elastic or rubber thread I8. The thread I8 is formed of an extremely small latex filament I9 about which is coiled a thin fabric thread 26. In knitting the band I2, the latex thread I8 is 35 simply substituted for the ordinary cellulose wool, silk etc. thread, and the short and long stitches formed in the garment with the new thread just as already described. If desired, the entire strip B may be knitted with the latex thread I8. 0

In the modification illustrated in Fig. 6, the knitting is accomplished by two threads instead of one, the two threads being handled as companion threads in the same way that a single thread would be handled. One of the two threads is preferably the latex thread I8, and the other an ordinary cellulose, wool, silk etc. thread 2|. I have found that the combination of the two threads is desirable because of the increased elasticity afforded by the latex thread I8, and 50 because the cellulose thread 2l affords a softness or fiexibility which is absent in a garment formed entirely of the latex thread.

In my improved supporter strip B, the close stitches along each border carry the strain and 55 protect the weaker and looser stitches I4 in the central part of the garment, the portion formed by the loose stitches in turn aording greater fullness. If the knitted garment is formed entirely of cellulose thread, it may be laundered without injury because of the absence of rubber and at the same time, the formation of the stitches affords considerable elasticity. In the form illustrated in Fig. 4, the elasticity of the strip is increased by the short knitted portions l1. The portions I1, in view of the fact that they are formed continuously and knitted in the same`manner as the remainder of the fabric, need not be noticeable.

The foregoing detailed description has been given for clearness of understanding only,` and no unnecessary limitations'should be understood therefrom, but the appended claims should be construed as broadly as permissible, in View of the prior art.

I claim:

` being formed of parallel courses of stitches extending transversely of the fabric, the stitches in the central portion of each course being rela.- tively long and the stitches in the border portions of each course being relatively short, and said furcated portions having their inner border portions formed of relatively long stitches and their outer border portions formed of relatively short stitches.

CARL F. SCHUESSLER.

Cil 

